Lost Souls
by BTR'slovesong
Summary: "I sought my soul, but my soul I could not see. I sought my God, but my God eluded me. I sought my brother and I found all three."-Unknown. AU fic in which the boys are all orphans, lost and alone with only each other to escape the abuse of a strict orphanage, survive the rough streets of 1920's Harlem, and battle personal demons of the past.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Hi my lovelies! Have anybody ever read the book, Dave at Night? Well, it's my random inspiration for this story, in which the boys are all strangers but meet as orphans inside Harlem's Hebrew Orphanage! This chapter is Carlos' story. The first few chapters will be the background stories of the boys, but basically the summary is Kendall, a young ruffian off the streets of New York City, is sent to live at Harlem's Hebrew Orphanage for causing too much trouble. There, he meets three scared, lost and troubled young souls and forms a bond with them. Deciding that the orphanage is too rough and abusive for his new, innocent little "brother's" he does everything in his power to escape the hell of the orphanage and give the boy's safety and shelter.**

**In the beginning of this story, the boys will be little, but it will fast forward at some point soon to them being the ages of Kendall; 17, Carlos and James; 15 and Logan; 14. **

**I really hope you give this story a chance and love it! **

_**September 12**__**th**__**, 1917 **_

9-year-old Carlos Garcia was seated on the floor of his bedroom, dressed in blue and white striped pajamas. His hair was damp and neatly combed, thanks to his nanny, who had just given him a warm bath to soothe him. The little Hispanic boy's nerves were slightly frazzled, due to his parents being gone all day. It was very late in the evening, hours past his bedtime, and he was determined to stay up long enough to see his Mami and Papi.

"Don't you worry little one, your Mami and Papi will be here soon," Carlos' nanny promised him. The tiny black haired boy fidgeted with his wooden Noah's Ark playset-his favorite toy given to him for Christmas last year. He stared at a hand-painted elephant in his delicate, tan hands and pouted.

"I'm afraid, Nanny. They are never this late!" Carlos cried in his slight accent. He set his elephant down and tossed his arms around his young caregiver. "Please tell me they are alright! They have never _not_ been home to say good night before!"

"Ssh, ssh baby boy, they are just fine. They had something very important to do but I promise you, they will come home," the nanny told him. She was very well aware of what was going on with Mr. and Mrs. Garcia, but she and the Garcia's found Carlos to be too young to know, and were hoping that he could be distracted with toys and treats during the ordeal. But Carlos was smart for his age, and picked up instantly that something was not right as soon as his mother gave him a very tight squeeze earlier that morning and bid him a farewell. Her eyes were shiny, as if they were wet, and Carlos was scared she had been crying.

"Is my Mami hurt, Nanny? She was crying earlier, wasn't she?"

"No, no dear your Mami is not hurt. Come on, off to bed my lovely. It's nearly midnight. Your parents will scold you if they found you up this late. I will tell them as soon as they come home to wake you and give you kisses!"

"No, I can't sleep without my Mami and Papi! I want them, now!" Carlos cried. He balled his tiny fists, about to throw a tantrum, but his nanny looked him sternly in the eyes.

"Now Carlos, there will be none of that. It's time for bed. Look at it this way, the sooner you fall asleep, the sooner you can see your parents! Kind of like when you are told to go to sleep early on Christmas Eve, because you won't have to wait as long to see what Santa brought you. Come on now, up-up!"

Carlos' nanny lifted him up off the floor and he wrapped his skinny legs around her waist. She carried him to bed and tucked him in, then placed a sweet kiss to his button nose.

"Good night, cutest boy!" She gushed. Carlos blushed and grinned. His nanny always made him feel special. "Now, how about I wind up our favorite music box and you fall asleep?"

"Thank you Nanny," Carlos whispered, watching the young woman twist the gold metal piece at the bottom of his train-shaped music box, which started to play a soft, tinkling melody that always lulled him to sleep. As soon as the music began to play, his eyes fluttered shut and he was vaguely aware of his nanny shutting off the lights and closing his bedroom door.

A few hours later, Carlos' dreams were interrupted by the sound of whispering voices. Somebody was running their hand gently through his hair, and the hand smelled lightly of roses and vanilla, the perfume his mother wore every day.

"Mami?" Carlos muttered, rubbing his tired eyes groggily. It was dark in his bedroom and he still felt exhausted. "Is it morning?"

"No Mijo, we are home now. I wanted to see my angel. I missed you." Carlos' mother's thickly accented voice was comforting and soft. He crawled into her warm arms and held her tightly.

"Mami! Where have you been? Where's Papi?"

"I'm right here, Mijo," Mr. Garcia said, touching his son's arm. "Have you been a good boy today for Nanny?"

"Yes, Papi," Carlos said, leaning into his father's kisses that were planted on his cheek.

"Really, Mijo? I heard you wouldn't go to bed for many hours," his father said, although there was a playful edge to his voice. Papi never could be mad at his sweet Carlitos.

"Only because I was scared, Papi," Carlos said. The boy was very attached to his parents. He had never even spent a night without them before. "Don't leave for so long again, okay?"

Suddenly, Mr. and Mrs. Garcia were quiet. Carlos looked up at them, blinking his confused, innocent brown eyes at them. The two elder Garcia's sighed and glanced at each other.

"You know we can't promise that-"

"_Papi," _Mrs. Garcia said rather harshly. She gave her other half a look warning him now was not the time, then brought her only son close to her and laid kisses to his forehead. "Baby, why don't you come sleep in Mami and Papi's room tonight so we can cuddle, as a special treat?"

"Really?" Carlos asked, his eyes lighting up at the thought. He had not been allowed to sleep in their bed for a few years now, and although he felt like he should be alarmed that the rules were suddenly being changed, he pushed it to the back of his mind and let his Papi carry him to their bed, where he fell asleep snug in his parent's arms.

Carlos was also allowed to sleep in that morning. When he finally awoke, sunlight was burning bright through the windows, beckoning him to come out and play, but he was so comfy in the large bed, he just rolled right onto his stomach and began to fall back to sleep.

"Oh no you don't, Mijo. It's time to be awake. Open those beautiful eyes for Mami," Mrs. Garcia said, noticing her little son's peepers had opened.

Carlos smiled, deciding he'd play a game with his Mami. He squeezed his eyes shut and pretended to still be asleep.

"Oh, I saw you smile, Carlitos. I know you heard me!" Mrs. Garcia said. She inched her finger closer to her son's side and poked him, eliciting a delighted giggle from the tiny boy.

"Rawr!" Carlos exclaimed, jumping on his Mami suddenly.

"Oh no, the ferocious Carlitos lion has got me! What will I do?" Mrs. Garcia yelped, mock startled. Carlos giggled in between roaring, pretending to nibble on his mother's neck.

"I'm hungry!" Carlos said in his gruff "lion" voice.

"Well I guess I had better feed you then, so you don't eat me!" Mrs. Garcia said with a laugh. She gave her son a piggyback to the dining room table and set him down. Carlos immediately gobbled down the pancakes his mother cooked for him, oblivious to the way she watched him fondly with a tear in her eye.

"I'm going to go get dressed and go out to play, Mami!" Carlos announced after he finished his breakfast.

"Actually Mijo, Mami and Papi need to talk to you," Mr. Garcia said, walking into the room with a leather knapsack in his arms. Carlos looked up to see his parents watching him mournfully.

"What's wrong Mami? You look sad again, like yesterday," Carlos said. "Did I do something bad?"

"Oh, no Carlitos, you are my angel!" Mrs. Garcia said. "What we are about to tell you is not your fault, baby. Before you were born, you know me and your Papi lived in a place called Venezuela, right?"

"Mmhmm," Carlos said, nodding his head vigorously although he really had no idea where Venezuela was. He recalled his father telling stories about growing up there, though. It seemed like a place very different than New York City. "You Im-a-gated there, right?"

Mr. Garcia smiled despite how heavy his heart was at the moment. "Well, the word is immigrated, Carlos. We immigrated here, to America, to give you a better life than what you would have had in Venezuela. It can be very dangerous there. And since you were born here, you are now a citizen of America and your Mami and I have an important card saying we can stay here too, for you. But our card has expired, and… Carlos, do you know what the word deported means?"

"No Papi," Carlos said. He had an icky feeling in his stomach. He wasn't sure what his parents were trying to tell him, and he was getting scared again.

"It means that Mami and Papi have to go back to Venezuela for a little while."

Mr. Garcia was expecting tears and tantrums from his little boy, but instead Carlos broke into a sunshine-y smile. "I always wanted to see Venezuela, Papi! Will this be an adventure? How far away is it, Papi? Can we drive there, in an automobile? Please Papi? Papi…?"

Mr. Garcia looked at his wife, forlorn. He didn't know how to tell his son that he was not allowed to come with. It would break the boy's heart. He felt like he was abandoning his only child.

"Papi, are you crying?" Carlos asked, astonished. He reached out and touched his pointer finger to the wet drop on his father's cheek. Mr. Garcia took Carlos' finger and wrapped his hand in his hand in his large palm.

"You're going to go on your own adventure, Mijo. Without Mami and Papi, okay?"

Carlos looked from his Mami to his Papi, expecting them to break into a giggle fit and claim "We got you!" Then proceed to tickle him. But instead, they were both crying, which only made Carlos start to cry.

"B-but… No! I don't want to!" Carlos cried, kicking his little legs with force. Mrs. Garcia sighed, forcing her tears back for Carlos' sake. She brought him into a tight hug and pressed her chin to his soft dark hair.

"Now Carlos Roberto Garcia, I need you to listen to Mami carefully, okay? Mami and Papi are going away for a little bit and you have somewhere to stay until we come get you back. It's a big place and you'll make lots of new friends! But you need to be a big boy and let us go."

Carlos clung to his mother, sobbing as his young mind took all of this in. He was trying to understand, but he was only 9 years old, and nothing was making sense except that his parents were suddenly leaving him. It was his worst fear coming true.

A couple of hours later, Carlos was still red faced and teary eyed. He was dressed in his best trousers and white shirt with a collar and adorned shiny black loafers on his fee. His hair was brushed flat and neat. It was as if he was going to church, but Carlos was somewhere he had never seen before. They had even gotten to ride in an automobile, but Carlos did not enjoy it at all. He was too frightened.

"Papa, where are we?" Carlos asked, clinging to his father's hand as they walked through a very busy, bustling street with more people than Carlos had seen in his lifetime. Papi didn't answer him though.

"Papa, I want to go home now!" Carlos whined. He stopped his legs from moving and planted his feet firmly in the dirty street they walked down.

"Carlos!" Papi scolded when his son refused to move. "We haven't much time, Mijo."

Carlos pouted and stood still, his face cross.

"Carlos Roberto you obey your father this instant," Mrs. Garcia said, tugging the boy by his arm. Carlos only began to cry again, because he knew as soon as they got to wherever his parents were taking him, he would not see them for a very long time.

Finally, Mr. Garcia had to scoop Carlos in his arms and carry him through the crowded streets. He did not want to have to yell at the boy, after all he was probably overwhelmed by the city, when he grew up in a farmhouse several miles from New York City.

Carlos calmed down once he was in father's arms. He nestled his chin on his broad shoulder as Mr. Garcia briskly walked the rest of the way to what he said was Carlos' new home.

Soon, they arrived to a looming stone building, about four stories high and as wide as nearly an entire block. The large building was surrounded by black wrought iron fences that seemed to go up half as tall as the building, with pointy black spikes at the way tippy top. Mr. Garcia set Carlos down on his feet in front of the fence and took his hand, giving his sweaty, trembling fingers a squeeze. Carlos was nervous. This place looked like some sort of haunted house that Carlos had read about.

Carlos' papa opened up a huge gate that let out a metallic creak when he pushed it open. Carlos shivered and cowered closer to his father. A menacing lion's face twisted into the iron fence leered at Carlos, and even though he was not looking forward to getting inside the huge place, he hurried his steps just to get away from the mean looking animal.

There were dozens of huge stone steps leading up to Carlos' terrifying new home. When they reached the wooden door, Papi rang the doorbell, which Carlos could hear echo through the building even from outside. Carlos looked up at his Mami and gulped. She just gave him a sad smile.

A tall man in a suit and tie answered the door. He was probably three whole feet taller than little Carlos, and when he saw the shivering boy at his feet, his mouth stretched into a lewd grin and he spoke in a raspy voice.

"Carlos Garcia. Welcome to Harlem's Herbrew Orphanage. We've been expecting you."

**A/N Hope you liked the first chapter! Review? *puppy-pup eyes***


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Wow guys! Thanks for all of the reviews! I was not expecting the first chapter to get that response, and it already has several favorites and alerts! YAY!**

Mr. Garcia had to push Carlos into the ornate foyer of Harlem's Hebrew Orphanage. He stumbled inside, onto the blue and black marble flooring.

"Papa, why is the floor wet?" Carlos asked, scuffing his toe along the marble.

"It's not wet, it's marble, mijo. Don't scuff it. It's very expensive. See, isn't this place nice?" Mr. Garcia asked.

Carlos avoided the tall man in front of him and glanced nervously around the grand entrance of the orphanage. There was a great big grandfather clock and giant wooden shelves filled with books. It did look awfully nice, but Carlos felt something off about this place. Maybe it was just the fact that, no matter how nice this orphanage was, it would never feel like home without his mami and papi.

"Papi, please don't make me stay here!" Carlos exclaimed, hugging his father's leg. Mr. Garcia had to pry the boy off his leg.

"I'm sorry, mijo. I'm so sorry," Mr. Garcia said. "The papers are already signed. You have a bed and a desk for school. You have a place to live, people to care for you! In Venezuela, you would not have even a bed to lay in, only dangers around every corner. Mijo, you are safe here! This is your knapsack, everything you need is inside. Mami and Papi will be back as soon as we can."

"All I need is you, Papi! Don't make me stay here! I'll be good, Papi I swear!" Carlos cried, throwing his knapsack on the floor. He did not care about clothes, or beds, or a desk for school or even safety. He needed his parents! Why couldn't they see that?

"Now, now, son. Come along," The tall man said, rubbing the scruff on his sharp jaw. Suddenly, the man leant over and grabbed Carlos in his long arms. Carlos let out a shriek and kicked his legs in a tantrum. Why was this gross man taking him away from his Mami and Papi?

"No! Mama! Papa! Please!" Carlos cried, reaching for his parents. His mother let out a sob and kissed his tear-streaked cheeks lovingly.

"We'll be back mijo! Ti amo!" Mrs. Garcia said.

"Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Garcia. He's ours now," The tall man said with doom as he practically pushed Carlos' parents out the door, closing it with a loud thud.

"No!" Carlos screamed. He couldn't believe this. He felt panic begin to take over him. His heart was pounding and it hurt to breathe. This couldn't be happening! He felt like a scared three year old again, but he didn't care. He just wanted his parents.

"Follow me," The man ordered, setting Carlos back on his feet. But the little boy was too traumatized to listen. Instead, he crumpled to the shiny marble and curled into a ball, tears spilling onto the floor as his body wracked with sobs. He called out for his mama, but instead the tall man kept barking orders at him, any trace of the smile he had on a bit ago erased from his leathery face. When Carlos did not obey him and get off the floor, he resorted to using his most booming, frightening voice to scare the child back to reality.

"**Carlos! Look at me!"**

Carlos gasped and lifted his flushed, swollen face off the floor. The man's voice scared him. He wasn't used to being yelled at.

"Papa!" Carlos wailed. He did not like this man one bit. He needed to be soothed and yelled, yet here this intimidating man stood, scolding him!

"I am _not_ your papa. I am Headmaster Samuel. I'll be taking place as your new father, but you'll refer to me as '_sir.' _Understand me?"

Carlos just stared up at him, wide eyed and unblinking, trying to hold back another set of sobs.

Samuel almost scolded the boy for not responding with "yes, sir" but decided against it. He would give him another chance, but he liked his boys who stayed here to be obedient and was prone to being unusually strict and even cruel to insure they stayed well behaved, so when Carlos continued to tremble on the floor after being ordered once again to stand up, he brought his hand back, gearing to slap the child's cheek. To his surprise, Carlos did not stand up right away. He just kept staring, confused. With a force that should never be used on a small child, he back handed Carlos' cheek, sending him backwards.

Carlos was stunned that an adult would actually hurt him like that. His lip quivered as he touched his cheek, and he began to cry when just his fingertips pained the now tender, red area. But something told him he should start listening to this man, so he got to his feet and trudged behind the tall man as he gave him the tour of the home. He showed Carlos his school room, the floor his age group slept on, the dining hall, and lastly, the nurse's station, all while he spoke to him about the boy's room.

"I may be strict, but I provide for my boys. Here, you will have a bed and three meals today plus a good education. I do not tolerate any tomfoolery-"

"What's tomfoolery?" Carlos blurted, curious of the silly word. Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say, because the tall man froze, turning to glare stonily at Carlos. The Hispanic boy thought of something suddenly.

"_Sir,_ what does tomfoolery mean?" Carlos asked. The tall man's glare at the innocent child suddenly didn't seem so stony anymore. He thought a moment, than leaned down to look at Carlos in the eyes. He was so close to Carlos' face, it made him a little uncomfortable.

"It means, little Carlos Garcia, that if my boys ever disobey, they will reap the consequences. Meaning they will be punished."

Carlos' eyebrows rose in fear. One time when he was 6, his parents took away his toys because he refused to clean his room for an entire day! He was sure this guy's punishment would be much, much worse than that, and he didn't want to find out.

The tall man brought him around to the nurse's room. The nurse's name was Catherine, and she had pretty blonde hair that reminded Carlos of his nanny. He missed her already. Even though the nurse was nice, she would never be as amazing as his nanny.

For some reason, Carlos was given a check up and asked if he ever had certain illness', like scarlet fever or mumps. He shrugged through them all since he didn't really know.

After his check-up, his nurse began to strip him down.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Carlos asked as she pulled down his britches. He tried to cover up his skivvies, but she pulled those right off, too! Carlos' cheeks turned bright pink.

"They have a uniform to wear here, dear," Nurse Catherine said as she promptly dressed him in blue boxers, brown knickers, a white button up shirt with a collar and black suspenders and a brown cap. The clothes were probably two sizes too big. She had to cuff up the wrists and shorten the suspenders to the smallest setting, but they still tried to fall off his shoulders.

"During school and dinner you are required to wear this jacket," Nurse Catherine said, holding up a gray tweed jacket. "However, it's free time right now, so you won't need to wear it. I will put your things at your bed. Headmaster Samuel will show you to the courtyard where the rest of the children play."

Carlos gave the nurse a little nod and followed the tall man-from a distance, because he really didn't like him, to a very large, grassy courtyard, where he was shoved outside and had the door close shut behind him. Dozens of boys, most of whom much larger than him, ran around playing baseball and tetherball and tag. Carlos felt very alone and vulnerable, like he was just thrown into a pit of lions with no escape, but the heaps of children hardly noticed he was there. That was fine by Carlos. He didn't feel much like playing, anyway.

Just as Carlos was about to sit down against some vines growing across the stone building, a ball landed at his toes.

"Hey, be a pal and throw it over here, will ya?" A boy neat, flowing auburn hair called. His cheeks were rosy and his face was perfect-he didn't look misshapen or dirty like other young boys did. He was much taller than Carlos, but he didn't look very scary. In fact, he was smiling. But Carlos was not smiling. Nothing right now was happy. He was angry at everything for making him live in this unfamiliar place. He balled his fists up and, with a tiny "humph!" kicked the ball with all his strength, sending it flying across the courtyard. It almost landed on the roof! But it bounced off the gutters and fell to the grass with a light thump.

Every boy in the courtyard was silent, except for a couple of boys, who just said "Whoa." They stared at Carlos for a moment and he just seethed. He wanted to kick some more stuff, but nothing was around except for children, and he did not want to kick a person. So he just sat on the grass and crossed his arms, and the other kids went back to playing ball like nothing ever happened.

But a few seconds later, a shadow of a lanky boy loomed over Carlos. He didn't bother to look who it was because he was too upset, but he did say "hi," because he was taught to never be rude to another human being.

"Hi!" The shadow said, plopping down in front of Carlos in the grass. "Who are you?"

The voice sounded awfully sweet, so Carlos decided to see who was speaking. It was the same boy who asked him to throw the ball back.

"I'm Carlos," he said.

"Oh, hi Carlos. Nice to meet you! You have an awfully good kick. I was wonderin' if you might be on my soccer team?"

"Maybe some other time," Carlos said, politely declining. "Thank you."

"Oh, okay," the boy said, shielding his hazel eyes from the sun. "I understand, first day's always the hardest. But a lot of us boys around here are friendly enough. I can protect you from the bullies if you want."

"Okay," Carlos said, his eyes jotting around nervously. He didn't know there would be bullies here.

"Did the tall man get you?"

Carlos blinked. "Who?"

"The tall man, headmaster Samuel! That's what we call him."

"Really? I do too. I don't know why."

"Probably because he reminds you of the character in that horror book, The Tall Man! All dressed in black and looking like he steals the soul's right out of babies!"

Carlos thought Samuel had seemed familiar. Did he really steal souls though? He wasn't very nice.

"Oh. Yeah, how'd you know it was him?"

"'Cause he got me my first day too, for sassing back!" The auburn haired boy said.

"He's awful," Carlos whispered.

"Yeah, but if you follow his rules he ain't so bad. Anyway, you need a buddy here, or you'll never survive here. This place isn't as horrible when you have a buddy, really."

For some reason, Carlos thought this boy was lying. Even the kids playing sports did not look as cheerful and rambunctious as most other little boys. They kind of seemed miserable, if Carlos was honest.

"I'll be your buddy," Carlos agreed. Even though he was still angry and frightened, this boy gave off a certain warmth. He knew he wanted him for a friend right away.

"Great!" The boy said, shaking his long bangs out of his eyes and outstretching his hand to grasp Carlos'. "My name is James Diamond. Nice to meet you, new pal!"

**A/N Yay for quick updates! Expect another one soon! Xoxoxo! Let me know what you think so far of this wicked orphanage! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Thanks for all of the reviews and favorites so far! You guys rock! Oh, and I didn't even realize this, but someone pointed out that Kendall as the main title is misleading, I just picked Kendall because when he is introduced into the story he's going to have a huge part, but really there is no main character. But since he is the oldest and is going to bust the boys out of the orphanage, that's why I picked him. The other boys will be introduced soon!**

There was something very protective, Carlos noticed right away, about chubby little, hazel-eyed James Diamond. The boy was the same age as Carlos, 9, but he was several inches taller than him and had a thick layer of muscle beneath his abundance of baby fat. It was almost certain he would grow to be tall, lean and strong. His personality was sweet, yet fierce in a way. He was the only person who showed concern for poor, lost Carlos. Nobody else realized Carlos was even there. Either that or they didn't care. But not James. He took to Carlos like a lost puppy, and Carlos clung to the taller boy like a shadow.

Carlos also learned on his first evening in the orphanage, that the mansion-like establishment was extremely strict. Every hour, a loud brass bell would bang so loudly he was sure half of Harlem could hear it, and the activities would change. All of the kids were on a rotation. While some played in the courtyard, others did chores. While some had quiet homework time, others had art time. However, at exactly 6 pm, all of the children were to be in the large dining hall for supper. Two boys were late by 4 minutes and the tall man took out a long wooden stick.

"What's that for?" Carlos whispered in James' ear when all the boys in the hall became suddenly silent, watching the headmaster pull out the stick and stare at the two boys disapprovingly.

"'Round here, if you do something bad, you get the ruler right on your knuckles."

Carlos gasped. That sounded terrible! He winced when he heard the wooden stick fly through the air with a whistle of wind, ending with a loud "thwack!" Both boys got four smacks each, for each minute that they were late.

"That's mean!" Carlos hissed with sympathy.

"Yeah, well they like things to be perfect here," James said, showing Carlos his scarred, red knuckles. Carlos bit his lip and touched James' knuckles tenderly.

"Gee, James! Are you a troublemaker or somethin'?"

James blushed and smiled slyly, folding his fingers. "Jus' a lil' bit!" He said proudly.

After prayers and dinner, which was some kind of meat with large potatoes, cabbage and pepper, the boys reported to the kitchen to wash dishes and then sent up to their floors for bible study before bath.

"Hey look, your bed is next to mine!" James announced as all of the 7-10 year old boy's piled into the room.

Carlos raised an eyebrow, staring at the white cot with his belongings on top. He was sure that his bed was further into the room, closer to the single window at the far end.

"But I thought-"

James just grinned at Carlos and put his finger to his lips. Carlos caught on after a moment and grinned, also. James must have snuck into the room at some point and switch Carlos' bed so they would be close together. Carlos was grateful for this. Maybe the night would be easier to get through with his new best friend at his side.

"Do we have to do this every night?" Carlos asked after reading the bible for a few minutes. He was bored. Usually after dinner he played with his toys in his room or sang and danced with mama. When it was bible time at his house, his papa always read it while they were cuddled by the fire.

"Yep-uh," James said, popping his lips.

"This place is hell," Carlos said, taking James off guard. He looked at him with wide, hazel eyes. Swearing was strictly forbidden at the orphanage.

"Carlos!"

"It's true," Carlos said with a pout. He wanted to go home! It's not fair he was sent here in the first place. He should be at home! Eating dessert and playing toys and being with his parents.

"Well, yeah, but you can't just go around swearin' whenever you please! You'll get your butt whupped if Mr. Dingbat heard you."

"Mr. _Who?"_ Carlos asked, scrunching his nose.

"Mr. Lingat! We call him Mr. Dingbat, 'cause he's crazy! He's our floor-guard. Every floor has a floor-guard," James explains. "And they are all mean. He makes sure all the kids are doin' what they are supposed to be doin'. Anyway, if you thought The Tall Man was mean, golly you are in for a surprise! The headmaster is cold and strict, but he's fair, and the most you'll get is a nasty shiner when he socks you one, or get your knuckles rapped and butt whipped or some dumb punishment like scrubbing floors. But Mr. Dingbat, shoot he'll whup you raw and shake you til you're half brain dead! He feeds off the tears of orphans. Legend has it, that at night, he morphs into a troll and runs around the sewers of New York City, finding orphans to eat!"

James' eyes were impossibly wide now, and he looked frightened by his own story, but Carlos giggled.

"That's the dumbest thing I ever heard!" Carlos exclaimed. James face fell into a scowl and he bumped Carlos on the head with a pillow. Carlos just continued to laugh.

After bath time, there was 15 minutes of free time before all of the boys were instructed to lay down, by Mr. Dingbat himself. He was kind of crazy looking. He had one weird lazy eye and he looked like he was Asian of some sort. He talked real funny too. His voice was high pitched and had an accent. Carlos had to keep himself from laughing whenever he first laid eyes on him.

But now it was the middle of the night, and Carlos didn't find anything to be very funny. It was dark in the room, and snores from dozens of sleeping boys filled the air. Wind was howling outside and his bed was scratchy and hard. Most of all though, Carlos kept thinking about his parents. He wondered where they were by now, and if they were having fun without him or missed him. His heart already ached for home so badly it made his stomach hurt. He wondered if it would hurt this bad every night until they came back for him, because he was certain he did not want to go through this for even one more night. It was too strange and uncomfortable for the young boy.

Carlos rolled onto his side, facing James for comfort. In the darkness he could see the faint outline of the boy, his chubby form rising and falling with each steady breath he took. Carlos already knew he was best friends with him, and he would miss him, but not nearly as much as he missed his parents.

So Carlos reached under his bed and took out his shoes, quietly slipping them on his feet. He then grabbed his knapsack and slung it over his shoulders and said a silent farewell to James.

Carlos wanted to go home, so that's where he was going. Who was anybody to stop him?

Carlos crept through the long bedroom and turned the cold iron knob slowly. He pressed the door open and tiptoed into the hall. Mr. Dingbat was at the end of the hall in a big lazy chair. Carlos gasped, his stomach flying to his throat, but within seconds he realized the old man was fast asleep. Carlos chuckled to himself. That was a close one.

Carlos took a couple of steps down the hall, but his shoes made annoying clicking sounds on the marble, so he bent down and slipped them off and put them in his sack, than continued on through the empty, dark halls of the boy's home. It was eerie at night. Everything seemed bigger and shadowy, and he realized that even if his escape plan did work, he did not even know his way home from here! But, being naïve and inexperienced, he figured anywhere would be better than this place.

The final door to Carlos' escape was locked, though. Carlos dropped his shoulders in defeat. Why would The Tall Man even care if the boys escaped? Most of them were orphans, nobody cared about them, so if anybody went missing it's not like he'd have a heavy lawsuit or anything. Headmaster Samuel probably didn't care one bit for those boys.

But Carlos wasn't ready to accept that this was his home from now on. He looked around the grand entrance of the orphanage for any way out. The reading room near the dining room had windows, so he climbed up on a chair, unlatched the window, and crawled right out.

The moment Carlos' feet hit the grass, he laughed joyously. He was going home! He'd wait for his parents there, and they'd come back soon and they'd all be together again!

Carlos ran through the yard to the giant gate he and his parents had come in at. He rattled the black wrought iron gate, but it would not budge even a little.

"Oh no… Please open," Carlos said in a small voice. He shook the gate desperately. It was mechanically locked, and there was no way to climb the fence, it was much too high and had not one foothold, not to mention spikes on the tippy top.

Carlos could feel the hope dwindling out of him as he ran along the length of the fence, feeling for any kind of opening. No wonder it was so easy to escape the building. It was impossible to get past the gate! Tears began to stream down his face and finally he collapsed on his knees, exhausted and heartbroken. There he stayed for several minutes, despite the chilly temperatures, until he felt warm hands tugging on his shoulders.

"Oh, Carlos…"

"Papi?" Carlos asked through his hyperventilating sobs. His eyes were blurred by the heavy onslaught of tears. Whoever spoke shook their head, and a brown mop of hair fell in his eyes. It was James.

"No, it's your buddy, James Diamond. What in Sam's heck are you doing out here! You'll catch your death, from a cold and not to mention beatings from the tall man! He doesn't take too kindly to children trying to leave!"

"I don't care!" Carlos said. "I don't care if they beat me senseless or make me scrub things and I don't even care who Sam is, I want to go home!"

James rolled his eyes lightheartedly and brought his new, tiny friend into a bear hug.

"And I don't care if I die either because I would rather be dead than here! I want to go home, James! I want to go home!"

"Ssh, it's alright now," James said, although he knew it wasn't. He was all too familiar with the feeling of homesickness and missing a loved one. He combed his fingers through the fluff of black hair on Carlos' head. "Look'it here, Carlos, we got each other so we aren't as alone as we think! We may not have mommies or daddies, but until they come for us, we got each other."

Carlos sniffled. "Y-you're mama and papa aren't dead?"

James shook his head. "No, my parents are divorced. I don't know where my mommy is, she is really popular and rich, that's all I know. And pretty. My daddy says she's awfully pretty. And my daddy got drafted for the war last year. He writes me these awesome secret letters though! He's always saying how one day, he'll come get me and we'll be together again, free to do whatever we please. I ask him if we can find mommy together," James said, a glint of something fond in his eye. "I miss her tons, I haven't seen her since I was 4, but I remember her hugs. Daddy isn't too keen on the idea of finding her, but he said he will just for me. I wish we had enough time to find her before he had to go to war, but hey, if I never had to stay at this hell house, then I wouldn't have met you." Carlos smiled shyly, and James patted his shoulder.

"My point is, Carlos, lots of kids here have it worse than us. But our parents are alive and they love us. We can leave one day. We just gotta hold on. Daddy always tells me that when things get really hard, it's God testing us. I figure once we pass the test, really good things will happen, like when daddy gives me a lolly for passing tests at school. Only God is great and perfect, which means even greater things than lollipops will come from him. So promise to not try to escape anymore? 'Cause I think I've been waiting a long time for you to come around, I've been needing a best friend. I don't want to be here alone anymore."

"I promise," Carlos swore, wrapping his pinky with James. The brunet's eyes were pleading, and Carlos knew he was feeling just as sad as he was, and they needed each other while they waited for life to fix itself again. James didn't deserve to be sad, and honestly Carlos wouldn't have ever been able to guess, because his smile was so cheery and his eyes were always so bright. Carlos brought James into a tight, thankful hug. James smiled and leaned into the younger boy's hold.

"Come on, let's go back inside before we get caught," James said after a few seconds, rubbing Carlos' cold, goosebumped arms. He helped the smaller boy to his feet and led him back to the mansion, but as they were halfway across the lawn, Mr. Dingbat was just opening the front door, stumbling down the front steps and shaking his finger at the two guilty boys. Carlos clung to James, who gulped nervously. They were in so much trouble.

**A/N Uh-oh, James and Carlos are going to get it now! Next chapter is going to be good, and by the chapter after that I should be able to introduce our next orphan ;) Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N As always, thanks for every review from each of you! Hugs and kisses! Also, happy birthday to our Logie Bear! I will try to write a one shot for his birthday, but we shall see, I am not sure yet! I hope you all are still enjoying this!**

James and Carlos stood in rigid shock, attached to each other's arms as Mr. Dingbat came running across the lawn, looking like a displeased bulldog. The wrinkly Asian man grabbed James by the hair.

"Ouch!" He yelped, trying to pry Mr. Dingbat's hands away. "Hey! Let go of my hair, that's precious property!"

"Shuddup!" Mr. Dingbat hissed. "What are you stupid orphans doing out of bed? Get back inside!"

"I can explain!" James pleaded, but Mr. Dingbat slapped him across the mouth with his calloused hand. He nearly fell backwards, but caught himself.

"James!" Carlos cried. Mr. Dingbat took Carlos' arm and twisted it, causing him to whimper in pain. He dragged the two protesting boys back into the orphanage as he mumbled about how much he hated his job and he couldn't get any rest chasing children in the middle of the night.

"Wh-what's going to be our punishment?" Carlos asked, trying to be brave.

"Tonight you both will get a whipping, and you'll visit Headmaster Samuel in the morning!" Mr. Dingbat said. Carlos noticed James wince. They were probably going to be in for a lot of pain.

"Please don't whip Carlos, it's not his fault!" James said. "Just let me explain!"

"Children should be seen and not _heard,"_ Mr. Dingbat growled. "I suggest you hush now or you'll get twice the whupping!"

James looked like he was about to say something else, but Carlos shook his head. He did not want James to get beat for something that was technically his fault.

In the hallway outside of their room, as to not wake the other orphans, the boys received 5 lashes each to their backsides and sent back to bed.

Carlos, having never even had a spanking before, was red faced and shaking after the abuse, rubbing his backside tenderly. James however, was not even crying, although he looked sore and unhappy.

"Are you alright?" James asked, leaning over Carlos' bed. The Latino was curled up into a ball, tears streaming down his red-hot cheeks. He shook his head.

"Come here," James said, frowning. He pulled Carlos into his bed and wrapped two strong arms around him. Carlos buried his face in his chest and finally cried himself to sleep.

The next morning, James woke up with a soaked nightshirt due to Carlos' excessive tears. The young boy was a curled up lump clinging to his waist as if his life depended on it. He felt compelled to let the innocent thing sleep longer, hidden in his own peaceful dream world, but he had to wake before morning bell rang, as sleeping in each other's beds was a strictly forbidden rule at the home.

"Carlos? Wake up, buddy," James whispered, shaking him. Carlos stirred and blinked his eyes open. He looked slightly confused at first as his wide but sleepy brown eyes scanned the unfamiliar, large room. As if realizing that being torn away from his entire life and family was not just a nightmare, his lip began to quiver and eyes began to water.

"Don't cry, Carlos," James said quickly, drying his tears with the hem of his shirt. He couldn't blame Carlos for crying. For the first several months James was at the orphanage, he cried every morning. "Quick, we need to make our beds and report down to the kitchen for breakfast. Maybe Mr. Dingbat forgot about our punishment. He is getting old after all."

Carlos rolled out of bed and dressed and made his bed quietly. The duo tried to sneak down the stone stairwell with the other children, but they only made it as far as the grand marble staircase.

"Mr. Diamond and Mr. Garcia," Headmaster Samuel's voice boomed from behind the two. They jumped at his voice and turned around slowly, looking at each other with doom in their eyes. "Come to my office," he said, then turned to his heel and headed towards his office. Carlos and James hurried after him, having trouble keeping up with his long legs.

"Sit down," The Tall Man instructed once they were in his office as he shut the wooden door loudly. The boys sat in leather armchair in front a huge, shiny oak desk. The room smelled of leather and stale vanilla cigars. The smell was unpleasantly strong and burned their nostrils.

Mr. Dingbat was standing, stiff as a board in his ugly green suit and tie, staring at the children as if they were disgusting scoundrels. Carlos stuck his tongue out at him when Samuel was not looking. James elbowed him in the ribs for it.

"Your floor guard Mr. Lingat informed me of what he described as a breakaway involving the two of you last night," The Tall Man said. He had his legs crossed and was staring at the boys from across his desk, tapping his fingertips together. He had a really long nose, Carlos thought.

"Sir, let me explain," James requested. "It wasn't a breakaway of any sorts! Carlos here sleepwalks, and in the middle of the night last night, he sleepwalked right out of the building! I was only there to fetch him so he wouldn't catch a cold in this weather, sir. We weren't trying to stir trouble, sir."

Headmaster Samuel pondered this for a moment. "Is this true, Carlos?"

Carlos nodded, his eyes downcast at the red swirly carpet beneath him. James nudged him and he looked up to see The Tall Man staring at him pointedly, reaching for his yardstick.

"Yes, sir," Carlos said in the smallest voice imaginable.

"Very well then," The headmaster said. "You may go down for breakfast."

Carlos and James let out unison sighs of relief, thanked the man, and hurried to the dining hall.

"Thanks bunches!" Carlos exclaimed as they filled a tray with apples and oatmeal. "You didn't seem scared at all in there! I was about to pee my pants but you didn't even bat an eye!"

"No problem," James said. "Anytime you get yourself in trouble, come to me and I'll bail you out!"

Several months went by, and James stuck true to his word: Every time Carlos found himself in trouble, which was often, as he was a little spitfire, James was right there to bail him out. Anytime he aggravated the orphanage's worst bullies, James was there to sock them in the face and give them nice shiners for their bullying. Whenever the Latino was caught in a lie with the headmaster or Mr. Dingbat, he would cover for him.

As the days passed, their bond became stronger and stronger, and they were closer than most best friends. And even though they were as different as night and day, they both shared one thing in common: The undying hope that their parents would come back for them and free them of the hell house orphanage.

However, that simple hope was crushed one day. It was winter time, and the skies were gray with precipitation. Thunder rumbled and the air was frigid, which meant after school, the children were locked up in the great room with a fire going and only card games to play. They were getting stir crazy and some fights even broke out among the older boys, and several of the orphans were quarantined in the nurse's office with a strain of the flu. Luckily, Carlos and James avoided coming down with the bug somehow.

That afternoon, the mail man, whom Carlos and James grew to like, arrived with his bag of letters. He handed them out personally. About once or twice a month, Carlos received letters from his parents and James his father.

But this month was different.

Carlos did not receive any letter at all, which was odd, because around the end of the month was when he usually got his letter.

And when the postman reached James, he looked solemn and would not make eye contact with him.

"Mr. Diamond, if you would please come with me, I think it'd be best if you read your letter in private."

James looked at Carlos nervously. Something didn't feel right. His stomach twisted with trepidation.

"Can Carlos come with me?" He asked. The postman nodded, and the little boys followed him to the headmaster's office. The Tall Man was silent and looked solemn as well as James was handed his letter. The brunet examined the white envelope in his hands. The address was different than normal, one he did not recognize. Carlos looked over at it curiously.

"Open it," Carlos whispered, setting an encouraging hand on his best friend's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. James tore open the envelope and unfolded the parchment. The writing was not the usual sloppy print that his father wrote with. Instead it was neatly handwritten black ink. He squinted at the letters, trying to sound out the words. He was not used to reading handwriting.

"Mr. James Diamond we are sorry to in-inform you th-that your father, Mr. Daniel Diamond, was inv-volved in a plane crash and puh…puh…Perished? In the ocean. With my deepest regrets, President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson…" James scrunched his little brow in confusion. "What on earth does 'perished' mean?"

Carlos just shrugged. The postman and the headmaster looked at each other regretfully.

"And why is he sorry?" James asked, his voice a bit shaky. His pale fingers were trembling, and Carlos held them tightly.

"Your father was killed in World War I," the headmaster said bluntly. Suddenly, the room was filled with a painful silence. James was frozen for a moment before re-reading the letter in his head over and over again.

"M-my daddy… Is dead?" James asked, sounding like a scared three year old. Carlos closed his eyes, wishing this could just be a dream. "H-he is not coming back for me?"

"I am sorry, James," the headmaster said awkwardly. James clutched Carlos' hands, feeling the oxygen being sucked right out of him. His heart started to pound in his chest as his head reeled with the news.

"No, not my daddy," James whimpered. The eleven year olds knees wobbled dangerously and he collapsed to the floor in a fit of sobs. The postman put a hand on his head and Carlos wrapped him in a hug, shushing him and stroking his silky long hair.

"Now, now boy," The Tall Man said after a few minutes of his heart wrenching sobs. "You have chores to tend to before supper. I suggest you start your work so you don't miss your meal."

Carlos looked at Samuel with fire in his eyes, absolutely appalled. Couldn't he see the child was in anguish?

"He is in no state to do chores, can't you tell he's in pain? He's just a little boy who lost his father!" Carlos hissed. He kissed James' head when the brunet started crying harder than ever.

Samuel's eyes widened in anger and he pulled Carlos away from James, holding him by the shoulders. "I thought I taught you to never speak to me in a disrespectful tone," he growled, and just like he had the first day Carlos arrived, he smacked the Latino's cheek. Carlos hardly flinched. He was too angry to register the pain.

"This is an _orphanage," _Samuel said in what started off as a low, menacing voice, but raised louder with each sentence. "Meaning all you children are orphans. Your parents are either dead or do not wish to have you! Meaning I have the great displeasure of raising you brats into men. And men do not talk back to me, disobey me, nor do they cry!"

Samuel yanked James off of the floor with a grip hard enough to leave a bruise.

"Do your work or you will not be having any supper for a week!" He bellowed. Carlos flinched and gathered James in his arms. The postman took both boys hands.

"I'll take them back to the great room," he told the headmaster, his heart going out to the little children. The headmaster just nodded, trying to regain control of his temper.

As they were leaving the office, Carlos turned back to The Tall Man with venom etched across his usually angelic features. "You _sir, _are truly evil," he seethed, and with that he slammed the door behind him, wishing he'd never have to see that wretched man's face ever again.

**A/N Our next little orphan comes in next chappie! There will be a time lapse, and I hate those just as much as you do, but there is a reason for it! Which boy do you think will come in next? Reviews would be splendid!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Thanks for all of the reviews! I love you guys! I don't know too much of New York. I researched some, but since this is fiction, some of it is a fragment of my imagination. So anybody who lives in New York, sorry if it's not accurate, but I'm making some stuff up as I go along! **

**I bet ya'll thought Logan was next… Teehee! ;)**

**January 15****th****, 1923**

If you lived in one of the luxurious houses or apartments on the Fordham Road-Grand concourse, The Bronx, New York was a great place to live. You could visit the zoo, or the beautiful botanical gardens. The lifestyle was rich over on that particular intersection. But several miles north was where you would find ruthless, drunken gangs of Irishman and poverty-stricken immigrants. It was the worst end of town, where violence and crime ran rampant when the sun went down.

Kendall Knight, a tall, lanky blonde boy, whose family came from Poland, dreamt of leaving the gang-ridden town one day. He wanted to live somewhere beautiful and bustling, where good jobs were offered. His family was very poor. He, his mother and little sister all lived in a tiny, skinny brick building on a street corner. There was no heat save for the pot-belly stove over in the middle of the room, and they all slept on mattress' surrounding their only source of warmth from the bitter, New York cold.

They never used to live like this.

Growing up, the Knights were a middle class family. Kendall's dad used to paint superstructures and flagpoles atop some of the tallest buildings in New York. It was a high paying job, and with the proper safety gear, it was relatively safe.

_Relatively._

One day, when Kendall was just 10, something went wrong. He wasn't sure what, because he was too young to really understand, but his father's exhilarating career took his life, leaving his young family alone. They were kicked out of their apartment, unable to pay bills any longer, and were forced to move to The Bronx, where rent was cheaper but jobs were hard to come by. Mrs. Knight made bread to sell while she took care of her little daughter, and Kendall did odd jobs around the neighborhood. But since World War One, most families couldn't afford to hire Kendall to trim their lawn or paint their fence. Money was scarce. Kendall, who was the man of his family now, was unable to care for his family anymore.

Kendall was a troublemaker of sorts. He had a group of friends who weren't the best influences, and he learned to be tough growing up as a teen boy in The Bronx. His heart and skin both hardened, and really the only love he showed was to his mother and sister, whom he adored very much. Although he was tough, Kendall was a hard worker in school. He longed to get his diploma and get a good job so he could move his family to a better place, but no matter how hard he worked in school, The Bronx seemed to always have a way to bring him down.

"Hey, get back here!"

Kendall glanced back at the two police officers chasing him while jumping over a barrel of pickled beets owned by street sellers, a bag of stolen good clutched tightly in his fists as he ran. The ruffian panted in the frigid air and nearly slipped on a patch of ice, but he forced his burning legs to continue to run. He could outrun these fat coppers, he was sure of it.

Just as Kendall was about to turn a corner and hop a fence, he slipped on another patch of slick white ice and fell to the sidewalk hard, right on his hip.

"Ow!" He groaned, but struggled to scramble to his feet before the police could gain on him. It was too late though. The biggest cop pulled the scraggly blonde to his feet and held his hands behind his back.

"Gotcha!" The cop growled in his ear. Kendall squirmed, trying to fight the big lug off, but it was useless. He was a skinny 16 year old and the cop was a thick and trained grown men.

"Hey, loosen up! Easy on the goods!" Kendall hissed.

The cop loosened his hold just a bit, which was a mistake. Kendall may have been a young boy, but he worked out, too, and had been in his fair share of fights. The teenager whipped around and knee'd the cop in his gut, causing him to double over, but the other cop immediately shoved Kendall to the ground and wrapped his wrists in handcuffs.

"Ugh! Alright, you caught me!" Kendall groaned against the concrete. He gestured to the bag of goods on the ground next to him. "You can take it back and let me go now!"

"Not this time kid," the cop said, pulling Kendall to his feet again. Kendall blew a strand of hair out of his eyes and scowled, trying to cover the sinking feeling of doom he felt in his stomach. He knew the consequences of stealing. He knew that the cops have pretty much let him get away with it for far too long now. "We told you next time we catch ya stealing, you're going to the boy's home."

"Look cops, ya gotta understand! My sister has pneumonia and I can't find any jobs that's worth more than a few eggs or an apple! I haven't made a dollar in months!" Kendall said. "The food isn't for me, it's for my sister. She's just a little girl. She's dyin' for crying out loud!"

"It's rough times, kid. And it's not just the stealing. You and those boys you hang with are causing too much trouble 'round here. I've broken up dozens too many fights and they all seem to involve you just in the past couple of weeks! This is the last straw. We're taking you home for the last time. You'll pack your things and come with us."

Kendall suddenly felt more scared and vulnerable than he ever had in his life. The thought of his mother and little sister forced to fend for their own sent his stomach into a fit. They would never survive! They needed him! And he needed them!

"Please, don't take me away from my family. They won't even be able to eat without me!"

"We gave you your chances, kid," The cop said, yanking him towards his home. Kendall's throat formed a huge lump and he blinked tears away with his snowflake-covered eyelashes. They stomped through the snow to his apartment, which wasn't much warmer inside than it was outside. All eyes of the tenants were on him and the cops as they barged through the door.

"Kendall?" Mrs. Knight asked. 10 year old Katie was nestled in her arm, as fragile and tiny as a pale toddler.

"I'm sorry, Ma," Kendall choked out. One cop thrust Kendall's few belongings into his arms while the other explained to his mother what happened.

"We caught Kendall stealing again from a street merchant. As we have warned before, he will have to stay at the Harlem Hebrew Orphanage until the age of 18," he said. Kendall stared at the dirt floor guiltily. He couldn't look his mama in the eyes. She had pleaded with him not to cause any more trouble after the last time he was caught acting rambunctious. They had taken the boy to court, and she had agreed to the boy's home. It was either that or jail, and jail was no place for a young boy to grow up.

Kendall avoided looking at his heartbroken mama as he quickly through the few items of clothing that he owned into a sack. He placed a quick, chaste kiss to his little sister's forehead and looked into her huge, sick, scared brown eyes.

"Kendall?" She asked, confused as to what was going on. She coughed and Kendall patted her back gently.

"I'll come back for you Katie," he promised. He chanced a look at his mom, who brought Kendall into her arms for a warm hug.

"You listen to me Kendall," she said sternly. "Don't you worry about us here. You'll have it so much better where you're going. A better education, a warm bed, food every day."

"I'd rather starve than not be able to take care of you and Katie," Kendall whispered.

With that, the cops pulled Kendall away from his home and family.

**A/N Tricked ya'll! Logan will come in later! Sorry for the delay, I will update some more asap. I am actually at work right now haha. Also, I leave for an 8-day Disney Cruise on Friday so I will try to get at least one more chapter up by then! Reviews are appreciated, if you have time. I love hearing what you guys think **** xoxo!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Almost to 60 reviews! Thanks guys! You rock! Sorry it's been awhile since I updated, I kinda forgot about this story because as usual I lost my document containing this story, but xxrikkexx1 reminded me to update with an awesome review so I got my butt back into gear!**

Cold air whistled bitterly around Kendall as he lugged his legs up the huge steps leading up to the huge, spindly looking mansion looming above him. He couldn't help but to shudder as he became closer to his new home. His new _prison. _

The police man who had a tight grip on Kendall's collar buzzed in at the door, and shortly after, a very tall man in a suit answered the door. His beady eyes immediately narrowed in on Kendall, making his stomach flip with nerves. Kendall was always pretty good at judging people upon first impression. And he could tell right away this man was bad. He just had that evil air to him, the one that adults always seemed oblivious to for some reason, but kids could pick up on.

"Aah, our newest troublemaker," the man announced, taking some legal papers from the cop. He scanned them over briefly, not really caring to read all the way through. Headmaster Samuel assumed full property of the children who landed on his doorstep. Whoever they were before they arrived meant nothing to him. They would become who he wanted them to be. "Well, I'll have him whipped up in shape in no time. Follow me." The man shut the door with a loud bang and began walking briskly across the foyer. Kendall stumbled after him, slightly peeved. He couldn't help but think of this all as a joke.

"I'm Samuel, the headmaster of this orphanage. I take in dirty children that cause chaos in the streets and turn them into men. You'll refer to me as sir. Living under my roof means living under my rules. Every child whom lives here washes his own clothes, does dishes, scrubs floors, fixes any repairs needed, maintains the yard, and keeps his quarters clean. There is no time to cause trouble. You can either do what is accepted of you and succeed, for we have a great academic program that will get you into any university if you study hard enough. Or you can disobey my rules, but you won't be spending much time outside of punishment. I take my discipline seriously. If you do decide to disobey me, I will hurt you, until you realize that what you have done is unacceptable. When you leave this home, Kendall Knight, you will no longer be a thieving, lying scoundrel. You'll be a working and functioning part of society. Not an ugly little brat, but a man."

Samuel stared at Kendall, as if expecting something from him. Kendall just shrugged in the awkward silence, wondering why this man was eyeing him so intently.

"Is there something interesting about my face?" Kendall finally asked when Samuel did not break his stare. A look of anger shadowed in Samuel's eye, but he kept his professionalism about him for now, deciding he would have plenty of chances to punish the boy very soon.

"No Kendall I am waiting for a reply from you. When I speak to you, you will agree with whatever I say with a 'Yes, sir'. You haven't said 'Yes sir' yet, I hope you're smart enough to address me properly and promptly when spoken to, yes?"

Kendall narrowed his eyes, finding this whole thing absolutely ridiculous.

"And who are you to have such control over me, huh?" Kendall demanded. "I'm 16 years old, going on 17. I've been raising a little girl and taking care of my mother my entire adolescence yet here you are thinking you can treat me like a child, when I am probably more of a man than anyone else in here. So no, I will not speak to you or obey you as if I was a child, but I will argue with you like a peer. You are sure as hell not my father so if you think you can be, I suggest you get that idea out of your head immediately."

Samuels eyes grew wide with rage at Kendall's disrespect, taking a few strides over to the boy so he was almost right up against his chest, staring down at him, even though Kendall was not all that much shorter than him. Truthfully, Kendall was probably the biggest boy in the entire orphanage, standing at 6 feet tall.

"Oh I know I am not your father, because only a fool would teach his child to disrespect an authority figure like you have just done. You will learn very quickly that this behavior is not tolerated, and that you are the child while living under this roof, no matter what kind of sob-story background you pull out of your pocket, and I am the father of every child who steps foot in this orphanage. You are mine now, Kendall. If you really are the 'man' you claim to be, you would have never been so irresponsible to cause the trouble you did to land her, whilst your family is so poor and your little sister is so ill. Now, they have nobody to take care of them because you were not the man your father hoped you would be. I read that your sister has pneumonia. Because of your childish actions, she will most likely die-"

"You have no right to say this to me!" Kendall shouted, interrupting the man from his rant. His cheeks were burning and his eyes stung with hidden tears. "If this were true, then you would be an accomplice to murder for keeping me here against my will when I should be with my family!"

Samuel let out a barking laugh. "Yes, that's brilliant logic, Kendall," he said sarcastically. "It is my fault that you were a disappointing brat and left behind your ailing family despite the fact you were warned several times what would happen to you. You knew you were on your last chance, yet the police had to drag you here for breaking that last chance. Whatever happens to your family-and you- is your fault." Samuel leaned down so that he was looking straight into Kendall's dark green eyes. Kendall didn't blink, pretending that the man's close proximity was not such a discomfort. "I will break you down, Kendall. You won't be this tough guy for long. I will take away that hard shell of an exterior. Soon you'll be the scared, helpless little boy that you really are inside, and then I will rebuild you into a soldier for society. I tried to be nice but I can already see that nice will not work with you within the ten minutes that you have been in my home. You do not have a mother anymore, or a sister. You have nothing and you are nothing. You belong to me now, Kendall." Samuel took Kendall by his thin arm and dragged him through the hallway and down a long staircase.

"Let go of me," Kendall growled, trying to pull his arm away. "Don't touch me! Who do you think are, that you can get away with this?"

Samuel stopped pulling Kendall and whipped around to face him. Kendall didn't notice that they stood in front of a wooden door with a metal plaque nailed to it, reading "Discipline Room." Samuel opened up the door and shoved Kendall inside.

"I'm your father, Kendall. Welcome to the Harlem Hebrew Orphanage," Samuel said with a sneer, and before Kendall could react, the door was slammed shut and locked, leaving Kendall in the darkness.

**A/N Thanks for reading! I know it's been awhile since I touched this story, but it would be amazing if you reviewed! Kendall will meet James and Carlos in the next chapter and there will be plenty of whump to go around **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Gah thanks so much for all of the reviews it makes me soo happy! Also I'm baking a sweet potato and it smells like chocolate chip cookies and it smells amazing in here I'm so hungry. **

Kendall was left inside of the small, cramped room Samuel shoved him in for hours. It was cold and darker than anything he'd ever experienced before, and truth be told, he was a little bit scared. Surely they couldn't leave him in there forever, right? That would be child abuse, child endangerment. Orphanages weren't allowed to do these kinds of things, Kendall thought.

But several hours slowly ticked by, and Kendall was still locked in the tiny "discipline" room. Wasn't discipline classified as a spanking, or getting dinner taken away for the night? What kind of cruel punishment was locking up a child in a freezing cellar of a room, all by himself, in pitch darkness?

Kendall had given up on screaming for help and pounding on the door long ago. Figuring salvation would never come, Kendall curled up in a ball on the floor. A few tears squeezed past his shut eyes as he longed to be home again with his mother and sister.

"I heard we got a new kid today!" James whispered as he and Carlos made their beds. It was late evening, and bedtime was coming up shortly. As usual, the two teenagers were hyper rather than sleepy. While half of the room was already in bed asleep, they were gossiping about all of the rumors going around the orphanage, as they did every night. It had been 5 years since the duo first met and now, they were closer than best friends, they were pretty much brothers.

James had grown considerably. He was the biggest kid in his grade, and extremely buff for his age, standing at almost 5 feet, 10 inches tall. His hair had grown longer and his features stronger, but he still kept a hint of the baby face he had as a little boy. Unlike most boys at the orphanage, he was good looking, and even though he was teased sometimes for being a pretty boy, the kids' taunts never got too far, being as he was much bigger than the rest of them.

Carlos however was still itty bitty, with a child-like face and soft tufts of spiky black hair. He was the smallest boy in their grade. Since they had turned 14, they were moved up to the floor for 14-18 year olds, and the other teenagers towered over him in size. If Carlos didn't have James, the little boy would have probably been beat up every day, but nobody messed with Carlos with James' protective presence constantly around.

"Really? I haven't seen anybody new," Carlos said. It had been months since any new orphans came to stay.

"That's 'cause supposedly he got locked in the Tall Man's discipline room," James explained in a hushed voice. "The lower grades say they heard some screams coming from down below!"

"Nuh-uh!" Carlos gasped with disbelief. The naughty room was the Tall Man's favorite punishment besides whipping! He only used it when a kid was being extra bad. He never heard of an orphan being sent their on their very first day.

"I'm telling the whole truth, Carlitos. I went down there myself and sure 'nuff, I heard screaming!"

"Gee, he must be a really bad boy to get sent there on his first day here. I wonder if he's really tough? Or a serial killer?"

James rolled his eyes. "I doubt they'd send a serial killer here Carlos, instead of jail."

"But what if he killed his parents James? So he was sent here, because he's an orphan now? This place is worse than jail when you think about it James."

James was about to argue with Carlos that his idea was far-fetched when the door to their sleeping corridors swung open. Their upper-grade floor monitor, Mr. Hurtz, an old German man who had zero tolerance for children (why he worked at a home for children, James would never figure out. He just assumed the Tall Man liked to hire the meanest, nastiest folks around to take care of his orphan-prisoners) led in a tall, lanky boy with blonde hair. Without a word, Mr. Hurtz pushed the boy onto an empty bed and threw his bag down next to him, then left the room.

James and Carlos exchanged glances as they watched the boy look around with gloomy eyes. He appeared to be lost and even a little afraid, but when he saw Carlos and James, his mouth formed a thin line and he scowled at them before lying down, turning on his side so that his back faced them.

"He doesn't look like a serial killer, Carlos. He looks… Scared," James said.

"I want to talk to him," Carlos said, already walking towards the mysterious new kid. James followed behind him, a bit apprehensive. Sometimes, well, most of the times, the kids who came to live here were not very friendly and had a tendency to be violent.

"Hello?" Carlos said, walking around the bed to face the blonde boy. As soon as he caught a closer look of his face in the light, a feeling of pity mixed with concern filled his gut. The teenager was pale, and though it was obvious he was older than James and Carlos, he looked like a little boy just by how terrorized he seemed. His entire thin body was shaking and his lips were tinged blue.

"God, what have they done to you?" Carlos whispered to himself.

"Carlos…" James warned. His little friend leant forward to wrap the boy's shivering frame in a thin blanket, then ran over to his bed to get his own blanket and wrapped him in that one as well.

"You'll be okay," Carlos said gently. Kendall looked up at him with grateful, but humiliated green eyes.

"We don't know who he is," James whispered in Carlos' ear.

"So? He's really hurt. He's barely even responsive. Something's wrong. I think he's nearly frozen to death!" Carlos replied.

"Let's just leave him alone for a bit, let him get some rest," James said as the boy's eyes slipped closed, exhausted from whatever he had gone through.

"Give him your blanket," Carlos said.

"What? Carlos, I-"

"James, please. I won't be able to sleep knowing he might not be okay." Carlos pushed out his lower lip and looked at James with his puppy dog brown eyes. James scowled and took his blanket off the bed, sacrificing his warmth for some kid he didn't even know at all.

"For a serial killer, you sure do want to help him," James muttered as he placed his blanket over the now sleeping boy's body.

"He's one of us now, James. He needs all the help he can get," Carlos said sadly. "I don't think he's evil, anyway. He looked in my eyes and what I saw, wasn't evil. He's an innocent, like me and you."

James gave Carlos a small smile. His best friend was pretty amazing. "Let's go to sleep now, buddy. It's late. Look, he's regaining color and his lips aren't blue anymore. He'll be alright, Carlos."

Carlos nodded, a little reluctant to leave the new kid's side, and lied down in his own bed, curious to find out who this boy really was first thing in the morning.

**A/N Thanks so much for reading! Now, I got a sweet potato to smother in brown sugar and eat! Ps, reviews are as amazing as sweet potatoes! I know you're busy but if you liked this, let me know and I'll… share my cookies and sweet potato! **** Xoxoxo!**


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